It's All Coming Back To Me Now
by crbrgmi
Summary: After Layla dies, Natsu is the only thing in Lucy's life worth living for, that is until her father forces her to go to an all girls' school in another country. They part ways with anything but kind words to each other, and Lucy casts him out of her life for good. When she returns home, everything that she's worked so hard to forget comes crashing back. AU NaLu songfic. Finished!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: A story based off Celine Dion's 'It's All Coming Back To Me Now'?! How original! Okay, not really, and I'm sure there a millions of stories out there with this basic plot line. Anywho, be prepared for intense NaLu fluff! I sure hope you're prepared, otherwise you'd prolly get a faceful of fluff, and I'd be in trouble because you weren't ready for it! So, get ready for it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, but with the amount of plotlines I have for fiction, I really wish I did. Also, I do not own this beautiful and amazing song. The wonderful and great Celine Dion does.**

 **It's All Coming Back To Me Now**

Chapter 1

 _~There were moments of gold and there were flashes of light. There were things I'd never do again but then they'd always seemed right~_

"My name is Lucy Heartfilia. It's very nice to meet you." The young girl curtsied to her new neighbors. Before rising, she glanced up at her parents, pleased that they beamed down at her. She knew they were only showing her off as the perfect child to the new neighbors and their children. She stood and turned a bright smile to the two children in front of her.

The little blue haired toddler grasped her mother's skirt, hiding her face behind the fabric. Lucy wondered why the girl was hiding from her. But she didn't get a chance to ask; the blue haired girl's older brother stepped in front of his little sister and grabbed Lucy's hand, shaking it as vigorously as a six-year-old could.

"Hi, I'm Natsu!" the boy exclaimed. Lucy pulled her hand from the boy's grasp, rubbing her arm. She had tried so hard to keep her little child composure, but she was still just a child, and she couldn't stop herself from what she said next.

"You have pink hair!" she gasped. "Are you a girl or something?"

Natsu blinked at her for a second. Lucy heard her father clear his throat and her mother gasped her name from behind her, and she immediately became ashamed of herself. _Come on, Lucy!_ she thought to herself. _You've been taught better than that!_

At first she thought she hurt the boy's feelings, but he puffed his cheeks and crossed his arms over his chest. She felt her cheeks blush slightly and she opened her mouth to apologize, but the boy cut her off.

"It's not pink," he said in a matter of fact tone. He pointed to his hair. "It's actually called 'salmon'. Pink and salmon are completely different, _Luigi_."

"That is not my name!" she shouted, stomping her foot on the grass. She clenched her fists at her sides. Her mother stepped closer to her, ready to interfere should her daughter move to hit the poor boy, but she stopped.

Natsu patted Lucy on the head, a big goofy grin on his face. "We're going to be best friends," he declared. He glanced up at his parents, throwing his arm around the girl's shoulders. "Can Lucy spend the night?" he asked.

The grown-ups laughed, but Lucy blushed harder. Again, she was only a child of five, but she wouldn't be caught dead sleeping in a _boy's_ room. That was just gross. Boys had cooties.

~.~

A now fifteen-year-old Lucy smiled softly. For some reason the memory of their first meeting had popped into her head, but it stopped her from shoving a certain pink haired intruder out of her bed.

Ah, who was she kidding? That cretin never had a sense of personal space. She climbed onto her bed and sat facing the snoring boy. She put her feet against his stomach and pushed as hard as she could, sending the boy tumbling to the ground.

The boy jumped up, fists raised in a battle-ready stance, quickly glancing around the room. "Don't worry, Lushi! I'll protect you!"

She couldn't help but giggle at his appearance. His spiky hair was more spiky due to his short nap, and he had a bit of drool dripping from his mouth. His eyes were barely open as he started swinging randomly.

"Natsu, you jerk!" She put on her best angry face before he could fully focus. "Why were you sleeping in my bed?" She sat up on her knees, placing her fists on her hips.

The boy lowered his fists and scratched the back of his head, letting out a big yawn, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "I came to check on you, but you were in the bath." He sat back down, rubbing his face. "But you took too long and I just fell asleep."

The girl blinked. "Check on me? Why?"

He smiled at her. "Well, it was only last week that you got the news." He turned his body so he was fully facing her, watching her closely as she relaxed her body, her face dropping in sadness. "Tonight is the first night your parents are at the hospital, so I didn't want you spend the night alone."

She sniffed. She had been doing her best to stay busy, keeping her mind on anything other than…

Natsu grabbed onto Lucy as she fell onto him, tears freely falling from her eyes, her sobs choking her. To be honest, she hadn't allowed herself a chance to cry yet. She didn't want her parents to worry about her, no matter how much they told her it was okay for her to cry. Now that they were gone, she felt she could finally let go.

Natsu gently rubbed circles on her back. Of course the news hit everyone hard, not only for Lucy and her family but for his family as well. The Heartfilias and Dragneels were close ever since his family moved into the house next to hers. In fact, it was a stroke of luck that his family was able to afford living in such a pristine neighborhood in the first place. Never in his life did he believe his family would move into a gated, private community. However, it was the best thing that ever happened to him.

He and Lucy grew up together. She was like a sister to him, and he loved her dearly. So when the news of Layla's sickness got to his family, the first thing he did was run to her. Lucy had claimed to be okay, but he knew she was only trying to stay strong for everyone else. He couldn't imagine how he or his little sister would feel if they were told that their mother only had a few weeks to live. Even so, Layla was like his aunt, and he had cried for her.

Tonight wasn't the first time he'd snuck into Lucy's room. The pair had been sneaking into each other's houses every night since they first met, neither of them being able to stand being apart from the other. When they were children their mothers used to joke that they'd be married. The two of them had thought that disgusting, but as they grew older, Natsu vowed that he'd do everything in his power to make sure Lucy was happy - and if that meant that he had to marry her, then he'd do it.

Now, though, he just had to be there for his friend. He would be with her every step of the way until she decided that she didn't need him anymore.

"N-Natsu," she hiccuped, grabbing tightly onto his shirt. "I'm so scared."

He gently lowered them on her bed, pulling the blanket over them, and pulling her close.

"I don't want to lose her."

"I know, Lucy," he whispered, nuzzling the top of her head with his nose. "No one does."

"What am I going to do without her?"

He didn't know how to answer her without sounding insensitive.

"It's not fair. She's a good person! She beautiful and loving, and it's just not fair!"

He gently pulled away from her and looked down at her. "Lucy." He tried to wipe her tears from her cheeks. "She is beautiful and loving. She is a very good person. And God sees that in her. He loves her so much that he wants her to join him in his angel army."

The girl blinked up at him.

"Natsu?" She sniffed, and she slowly broke out into a smile. "Who did you steal that from? That's too sappy even for you."

He pulled her against him again, hiding the fact that he was blushing. "I know, but it's the truth. Just remember that she's going to be the best angel in the history of forever."

Lucy sighed and smiled against his chest. "Thank you," she breathed. She wiped her tears on his shirt and relaxed, letting sleep over come her.

~.~

 _~There were nights when the wind was so cold, that my body froze in bed if I just listened to it right outside the window.~_

One week later, the pair of them stood side by side, quietly staring down at the gravestone. Lucy had clung onto him during the whole service, holding onto him as if he was her lifeline. If she let go, she didn't know if she could keep her composure. Not that anyone would blame her, but she had to keep her strength. She had to show her mother and her father that she was strong, that, even though part of her world was in that ground with her mother, she would live on.

"Natsu," she breathed, tightening her hold on him. "Don't ever leave me."

He looked down at her. Her soft brown eyes stared at her mother's name engraved in the stone. She had lost her mother, one of the few people whom she really cared for and loved. Sure, she still had a father, but that man turned into a mess when they had first received word about her mother. He was barely in her life before, but how would the man act now? The only other people Lucy cared for as much as her mother was Natsu and his family.

He hugged her, holding her tightly against his chest. He felt her shiver as she suppressed another urge to cry. He hadn't seen her cry since that night she was alone. Why wouldn't she cry?

"I'll never leave your side," he promised.

She pulled away from him, staring up into his eyes. Silent tears trailed down her cheeks. Without warning, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, crashing her lips onto his. His eyes widened, unsure of the situation. Lucy was kissing him? Why was she doing that? He never once thought they had that sort of relationship. Maybe it was the mixture of emotions she was feeling from her mother passing away and those hormones that he learned about in school?

The most important question was: What did he do now?

~.~

 _~There were nights of endless pleasure, it was more than all your laws allow.~_

The teens stood inches apart in Lucy's room. Natsu was still unsure what they were doing, but he promised to be there for her, and, if this is what she needed, then he would oblige. He was still a little worried about her that she still hadn't cried yet, and he figured that was what she needed to do now, instead of what she wanted in that moment.

Slowly, her eyes never wavering from his face, she undressed herself. Natsu felt his face flush tomato red as heat rose up his body. His heart thundered in his chest and he could swear that he was sweating. His eyes watched her hands as they moved about, taking her clothes off. For only fifteen, she had an amazing body - he wasn't going to deny that - but he had spent so much time convincing himself that she was more of a sister to him so that he wouldn't be affected by her body.

Well, he was getting affected now. He clenched his fists at his sides, suddenly overcome with the need to touch, but still in mind that he probably shouldn't. Just because she was undressing in front of him, and just because she was doing this so they could... _sleep together_ (the thought made him blush even harder)...he didn't want her to get angry and hit him. He wanted her to set the pace. This night was for her, not so much for himself, though he knew he was going to enjoy himself.

His eyes roamed her body as she stood stark naked in front of him. He felt a mixture of emotions ranging from nervous to excited to scared to happy. He looked up at her face and was able to sober up a little. Her eyes were puffy from silent tears, her cheeks were bright red, and her face was turned to the side. If someone were to walk in the room in that moment and saw them, they'd probably come to the conclusion that he was forcing her to do this...at least that's what her face portrayed - she really didn't look comfortable.

"L…Lucy?" His throat had suddenly gone dry, and he tried clearing it, but it wasn't helping.

She glanced up at him, shivering slightly. He couldn't tell if it was from her being cold or being scared.

"Y-you don't have to do this if you don't w-want to," he whispered.

She smiled slightly at him. "Do you?"

He shook his head. "It's not about what I want. It's just that, after today, I don't want you to jump into anything that you'll regret later."

She grabbed his hand, pulling his fingers straight. She gently ran her own fingers along his palm, instantly calming him down. He loved when she did that to him. He took a deep breath, his body relaxing from her ministrations.

Instead of letting go of his hand, though, she pressed his palm to her breast. His heartbeat quickened at once, and he thought he was going to die of a heart attack. His mouth fell open as she pressed his hand harder onto her. His eyes widened as he stared at their hands, and he wasn't sure if his body would last much longer. He used his free hand to adjust his pants. Looking up to her face, he was surprised to see how close she suddenly was.

Smiling, she brought her free hand to rest against the back of his neck.

"I won't," she breathed, pulling him in for another heated kiss.

~.~

 **AN: So, how rude of me to start this story all sad and stuff. But, don't worry, it gets much better. (Was that sarcasm? Or not? I won't tell...) So, my original plan was to type out their first love-making scene together, but then I remembered that Lucy is fifteen and Natsu is sixteen, and then I started to become super uncomfortable, and I decided to end it there. Also, before anyone gets all, "Lady, you're working on three other stories, and you have the balls to post _another_ one?!" I feel like I have to confess that this is another short one (please see _'Something'_ for something short and fluffy), and it's already finished. I will post the next chapters depending on the amount of feedback/follow/faves I get. Now, then, I bid thee all good night. :) And I will see you next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _~There were days when the sun was so cruel, that all my tears turned to dust and I knew my eyes were drying up forever.~_

For the next couple of weeks, Lucy stayed home from school, which everyone understood. Unfortunately, Natsu was forced to go, for which she was regretful. She felt so alone during the day. Every morning, her father would lock himself in his study until late at night, not accepting any visitors, and probably not eating. The silence tortured her. At first, she was perfectly content with spending her days in bed, crying over her mother. She'd lay there all day, and when it became late afternoon, Natsu would creep through her window and settle himself under the blankets with her. Sometimes they would make love, other times they would just lay together. There were days when he would tell her something about school, and she'd find herself laughing along with him. Other days, they'd lay in complete silence.

Sighing, Lucy wandered the halls of her home. There was nowhere in particular she'd want to go, so she found herself just wandering. Eventually she found herself in front of her mother's study. The dark blue door was closed - it had been since she passed away. Lucy gently placed her hand on the wood, feeling the cold of the unused room seeping through the grain.

She bit her lip as she ran her palm down the wood, stopping as she grasped the silver handle. She stood there for a good five minutes, wondering just how good of an idea it would be for her step inside. Everything her mother had worked on and studied was through that door. Everything that made her mother who she was, was just a few inches away. Could she do it? Was she ready to step into her mother's study and look upon her astronomy notes, her zodiac collection, everything?

Taking a deep breath, she turned the handle…

It didn't budge. It was locked. Of course it was. Lucy let out a soft chuckle and let go of the handle. She didn't know who locked it, but it was probably for the best. She wiped her hand on her skirt, and continued down the hall. She suddenly realized she was hungry, and decided to make her way for the kitchen.

"Lucy?"

The girl stopped. She almost didn't recognize his voice behind her. Slowly turning she set eyes upon her father, the first time since her mother's funeral. He looked like a mess: his hair had grown past his ears, his beard and mustache had grown together, and he still wore the same suit from the funeral. The man certainly was a sight, and not one for sore eyes.

Lucy gulped as she nodded at her father, and he raised his hand and motioned for her to go to him. She did as she was silently told, following him into his study. She sat in the chair in front of his desk, but he kept his back to her, staring out the window. Whether he was staring at their garden or the world beyond, she wasn't certain, but she did know that he a perfect view of her mother's personal flower patch.

"Lucy," he began, still not facing her, "it was always the intention of your m-mother and I for you to have the best education."

She nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see her.

"We were accepting of you going to the local school, but that was because she insisted that you stayed with your friend."

She? He must have meant her mother.

"But now…" He turned to her finally, and nodded at an envelope on his desk. "You'll be going to that school."

Lucy blinked, both at him and the envelope in succession. She was scared to touch the paper. She couldn't go to another school. She was supposed to stay at Fairy Tail with Natsu and the rest of her friends. As a child, she knew she'd be going to a private school, but her mother allowed her to go to school with Natsu. She looked back up at her father. Was he sending her away because her mother was gone? There was no one to argue with him anymore, so he automatically wins?

She shook her head and looked back at the envelope. "I don't want to go," she whispered. She already knew what school he wanted to send her. A girls' only boarding school across the sea in another country. She only had two more years of high school left! Why would he send her away now?

"It's not for debate." He sat down at his desk across from her and pushed the envelope toward her. "You will be going to this school and furthering your education. They have a college program, and I want you complete it. I intend to have you take over the company eventually, so I need you to have the best education money can buy."

She gently grabbed the envelope and held it in her hands. The best education money could buy? And he wanted her to go until she was done with _college_? She would be gone for six years at the very least…

Six years without Natsu?

She shook her head again. "I don't want to go there," she repeated, still in a whisper. She couldn't gather enough strength to speak any louder.

"You are going. You're leaving in two days."

Her head shot up, but he had his pen out and he was writing. He was done with her. She stood up from her seat and walked out of the room in a daze. She was leaving in two days? She was leaving in two days, across the sea, to another country, to a school that she'd be living in for at least six years.

She somehow made it back to her room, where she immediately crashed onto her bed, holding onto her pillow. She couldn't cry, though. She had cried so much over her mother that there were no tears left for herself. How was she going to break this to Natsu? What he would do when she finally did tell him?

~.~

 _~There were hours that just went on for days. When alone at last we'd count up all the chances that were lost to us forever.~_

He arrived the same time he always did. She wondered if his parents ever wondered why he was never at his own home anymore. Did they ever ask him to stay for dinner? How was school? Was his homework finished? Did he need any help understanding something?

He dropped his bag on the floor next to the balcony doors and made his way to her bed where she lay, her face buried in her pillow. She felt the mattress shift as he took his normal place, laying down next to her, gently reaching his arm over her so he could pull her against him. He nuzzled his nose in her hair, and sighed deeply.

She had to tell him now, before he fell asleep and she'd have to drag this out longer. She just wanted to get it over with.

She sat up, pushing his arm off her. She looked down at him as he smiled up at her.

"So, you missed another food fight," he said. "I totally kicked Gray's ass."

She sighed. "Isn't the point of a food fight to throw _food_ at each other?"

"Well, yeah, but then he gave me a look so I had to teach him a lesson for looking so smug. I threw a potato at him, and it just got better from there."

She chuckled softly. He was such a child most times. She gasped as she felt his fingers brush her hair out of her face.

"Everyone's asking about you still. They all miss you."

The way he said that comment made her heart ache even more. She won't be able to say goodbye to her friends. She forced a smile, but she knew it looked terrible.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting up. He scooted back so he was leaning against the headboard. Normally he'd pull her onto his lap, but she moved out of his reach. Of course he'd be able to tell something was wrong, other than the usual she lost her mother and now she's depressed.

Well, there's no other way to sugar coat it...May as well do it quick, like a band-aid.

 _~There were those empty threats and hollow lies. And whenever you tried to hurt me I just hurt you even worse and so much deeper.~_

"I can't go back to Fairy Tail," she said, avoiding his gaze.

"Sure you can." He leaned forward. "I know you're still sad, but as soon as you get back to school and surround yourself with everyone-"

"No, Natsu." She hardened her resolve and looked at him. "I'm switching schools."

He blinked at her for a few seconds, heavy silence engulfing them. Suddenly he burst out laughing.

"Don't joke, Luce." He resumed leaning back, completely relaxed, content that she was telling fibs.

She sighed. "I'm not joking, Natsu. My father signed me up at a private school called Mermaid Heel."

"Okay, great. I'll go with you, then."

"You can't."

"Sure I can."

"No, Na-"

"I'm not going to let you leave just like that."

"Na-"

"I'm going to be by your side forever, remember? You won't last two days without me."

"NATSU!"

He blinked at her, startled by her outburst. Satisfied that she had his full attention, she continued.

"It's an all girls' boarding school, you can't come with me."

"Then I'll still see you every night."

"It's in a different country. I won't be home for awhile."

"That's…" What she had said finally sunk in. She can't leave Fairy Tail. She can't leave _him_. "That's bullshit."

"Natsu…"

"Why would you want to go some place so far away?"

"I never said I wanted to go."

"If you don't want to go, then why are you?" He pulled his legs in so he was sitting cross legged, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "You can't do anything you don't want to do."

"It's what my father wishes."

"So you're going to just roll over and let him order you around like that?" He jumped off the bed and started pacing. She wasn't sure if he was going to leave her room and search for her father and hit him, or hit something. He looked like a furious caged animal.

"I'm not…" She watched him carefully. She knew he had a temper, but she also knew he'd never hurt her. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't take his anger on her furniture.

"You obviously are if you're going along with this! How long are you going to be gone?"

"Awhile."

"Tell me, Lucy." He stopped and stared at her.

She shrugged. "A couple years. I have to finish high school, and then I have a few more years of college. I'll be home in no time."

He shook his head and resumed pacing. "I don't get it. You don't want to go, but you're letting him force you. I'm not allowed to go because it's an all girls' school. How the hell am I supposed to protect you if we're not even in the same country? How the hell am I supposed to keep my promise to you if I can't be by your side?"

Sighing, she shifted so her legs was dangling off her bed, fully facing him. "It's not just about sending me away. Father is concerned about my education, and, frankly, so am I. How can I expect to follow in his footsteps in the company with a mediocre college education?"

He froze and stared at her. "What? You never wanted to work for him at all in your entire life. What the hell, Lucy?!"

"It's what's best for me."

"Like hell! I won't let you go."

"You're going to."

"No."

"Natsu, I'm going! I want to get a better education, and I can't have that here."

"Who gives a fuck about education when you're surrounded by the people you love and who love you back?"

She quickly shot to her feet, prepared to say hurtful words to him, but she had to do something. It was like telling your favorite pet that you hated them, and then threw rocks to make a point, because you knew they would be better off without you.

"That kind of attitude is why you'll never succeed at anything in life, Natsu. I'm thinking about my future! If I stayed here, I'd lose every chance at working at something meaningful. I'm going to help my future, and I can't stay here with you. Your idiocy is holding me back from my full potential."

Silence fell upon them as they glared at each other. The atmosphere turned heavy, and Lucy wanted to crumble under the weight. Everything she said stabbed her heart a thousand times over, and his expression was the final blow, shattering her heart in pieces.

He scoffed and ran his hands through his hair. "Wow," he finally said. "To say those things...I know you don't mean them." He held his hand up, cutting her off. "But if you're willing to say them, you must really want to piss me off even more." He walked to the balcony, grabbing his backpack. He sat on the railing, but before jumping off, he turned back to her. "I wish you luck, Lucy." With that, he jumped down to the ledge just beneath the patio, and climbed down.

She stormed to her balcony and slammed the doors shut, more out of anger towards herself than towards him. She leaned against the glass doors, her forehead pressed against the cold glass. No, she didn't mean a word of it, but she had to say something to get him to let her go. It was time for her to grow up.

Besides, people never really stayed together forever. Something always eventually happens, and they're pulled apart from each other. For her parents it was her mother's death. For her and Natsu, it was this.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered before her knees gave out, and she fell to the floor.

~.~

 **AN: Thank you for the support...here's the next chapter. I know, I suck, and for some reason I just can't let go of the drama. ;_; I'm so sorry, don't be mad. I really didn't want Lucy to be mean, but, come on...she just lost her mom, her dad is sending her away...she's under a lot of stress right now. I'll post the next chapter in a few days. I've started re-watching the anime after the latest manga update...I'm still not over the shock - I'll start giggling randomly at work and get weird looks..."Eh, sorry. I'm just thinking about something totally amazing!" Well, I'll see you guys soon. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does. It's All Coming Back to Me also belongs to Celine Dion, who I am not. Please enjoy the new chapter. n_n**

Chapter 3

 _~I finished crying in the instant that you left, and I can't remember where or when or how, and I banished every memory you and I had ever made~_

"Lucy, are you okay?"

The blonde looked up from her notes and glanced at her blue-haired friend next to her. They were in the back of the class, so the teacher couldn't hear their whispers.

"You haven't written anything in the last ten minutes," the girl continued. "Are you sick?"

Lucy glanced down at her notepad, but shook her head. She'd been in this school for a week now, and it was still a hard adjustment for her. She was so used to rambunctious students, overreacting teachers, and fights and parties almost every day. Mermaid Heel was so calm, yet strict, and she could hardly bear it. No one had time for play, or even to relax. It was constant work all the time.

She sighed, put on a happy smile, and turned back to her friend. "I'm okay, Levy. I just spaced out for a second."

The other girl nodded and looked back at the teacher, but with a last second glance to Lucy.

The blonde immediately started taking notes again. It was so easy to get lost in her work, and she sometimes found that she could allow herself a little bit of happiness. For the first couple of days in this new school, all she could think about was Natsu, and how horrible she'd treated him the last time they saw each other. She had wanted to apologize to him, but never got the chance.

She had gone to his house to say goodbye, but he wasn't home. She was able to say farewell to his parents and little sister, Wendy, but it broke her heart that he wouldn't be around to see her one last time.

It wasn't until she met Levy McGarden that she was able to allow herself other thoughts than those of Natsu. Levy helped her forget, promising to help her get caught up in classes, studying for tests, and just teaching her things she didn't know. The classes were so advanced for her age compared to where she was back at Fairy Tail, that she couldn't afford to think of anything else. She wasn't going to allow her father's money go to waste, and she wasn't going allow herself to roll over and die, either. This was where her path led her, and she was going to tackle it head on.

And if that meant she had to forget Natsu, her father, her mother, everything...she'd do so. If she was able to focus on succeeding here, then she'd be home sooner than she'd expect. That was, after all, the ultimate goal. She wanted to go home, but, in order to do that, she had to focus in this new school.

~.~

 _~But you were history with the slamming of the door, and I made myself so strong again somehow. And I never wasted any of my time on you since then.~_

Her stomach flipped like it was the favorite contender in the olympics for gymnastics. Levy had noticed her anxiety, and gently placed a hand on her knee, giving her a reassuring smile. Lucy had to remember where they were going and why.

After making the difficult decision to study medicine at their school's college - their medicinal programs highly rated out of all the schools around the world - Lucy was finally going home. Her father had offered both her and Levy jobs at one of his hospitals, but they had to go to her home first. Lucy couldn't get her father to start them up immediately, so they had almost a whole week of nothing to do.

Levy was looking forward to relaxing at Lucy's home. She had heard so much about the peace and quiet of their neighborhood, how it was hardly cloudy - which meant long afternoons snoozing or reading by the pool. The pair of them had over worked themselves to almost near death in order to stay on top of their class, and now she just wanted to lay about and do nothing before they were thrown into the crazy life of working at a hospital.

Lucy, on the other hand, seemed more than willing to stay away from her home. She wasn't sure why, but as the car drove ever closer, she felt herself almost wanting to throw up. She had almost forgotten what her home looked like, or how to get there from the airport - her father had sent someone to drive the two of them home. She hadn't seen her father since the day she said goodbye to him at the airport when she left for school. She hadn't gone home once in the ten years she'd been gone, nor had he come to visit. He had only sent her a card for each of her graduations, not even bothering to sign the damn things.

She had thrown herself into her studies, at first wanting to catch up to what she had missed, but it turned into more than that after a short while. She and Levy pushed each other to do everything they possibly could to make sure they came out on top, every time.

The only time they were separated was when they both chose different medical careers: Levy chose to be a doctor while Lucy went with pharmaceuticals. They had shared a dorm room for ten years, and, since their majors were close enough, they were able to help each other study.

The car turned down her street, and her stomach clenched, ending its gold medal routine with a flourish of a finale. She gulped down whatever wanted to come up, and she bit her lip, willing herself not to vomit. Sure, she was excited to be home, to see her old room, but there was something in the back of her mind itching to show its face. Something that wanted her to remember why she's feeling sicker the closer to home she became.

The car pulled into the driveway, and she smiled as Levy gave an excited gasp. Her nerves settled down as she took pride in her home. The car pulled to a stop, and Levy was the first one out, taking in the house, the gardens, the large water fountain that the driveway circled around.

"I'm going to enjoy living here for a week," Levy exclaimed, grabbing Lucy as the girl climbed out of the car. "Thank you so much for inviting me!" She hugged Lucy and the girls jumped happily, completely forgetting that they were both twenty-six years old and supposed to be mature adults now.

Lucy grabbed Levy's hand and made to pull her toward the house, but a voice stopped her.

 _~But when you touch me like this, and when you hold me like that I just have to admit that it's all coming back to me. When I touch you like this, when I hold you like that it's so hard to believe but it's all coming back to me~_

"Lucy?"

She stopped and looked down by the street. A young woman was running up her drive, her deep blue hair flowing behind her as she ran. Almost at once memories hit her, making her physically stumble as she watched the woman run to her. She let go of Levy so she could hug the woman as she nearly pounced on her.

"Wendy?"

"Lucy! You're back, I can't believe it!" Wendy clutched Lucy tightly, the blonde feeling her shoulder slowly growing wet as Wendy shed silent tears. They pulled back for a moment. "What the hell took you so long?"

Lucy shrugged, and motioned to Levy to take the focus off her. "This is my friend from school, Levy. Levy, this girl is pretty much my little sister, Wendy."

The two women shook hands and greeted each other, but Wendy immediately snapped back to Lucy.

"Just wait until big brother hears about this," she said, clutching Lucy's shoulders tightly, for which Lucy was thankful. Had Wendy not been holding onto her, Lucy was sure she would have fallen the moment the girl mentioned her brother. "He's going to be so happy."

Lucy held on tightly to Wendy as images flashed through her mind, ten years worth of lost memories flooding into her. Pink hair, olive colored eyes, tanned skin, goofy smile…

But then...anger, hurt, sadness…Their fight. She could almost hear her hurtful words to him as if she had just spoken them a few moments ago instead of ten years ago. He was hurt that she was leaving, and he couldn't understand why she would do something like that...and she threw it in his face, called him an idiot, and accused him of holding her back.

She placed the back of her hand to her mouth as she fought to suppress the vomit from earlier, as well as a sob that wanted to force its way out as well. Levy placed a hand on her shoulder, asking if she was okay. All Lucy could do was nod, but her eyes held so many questions that she wanted to ask Wendy, but she couldn't voice them.

Wendy shook her head, almost as if she could hear Lucy's thoughts.

"Big brother's not home," she said, smiling sadly as Lucy visibly relaxed. "He's on the road with his team right now. He got drafted right out of high school! After you left he focused so hard on basketball that it was like he couldn't think of anything else. He became so good that Crocus Knights fought for him. Tomorrow is the last game of the playoffs, and if they win, that'd be the fifth straight year they became the champions because he started."

Lucy couldn't do anything but stare in wonder as Wendy boasted about her brother. It sounded like he did the same thing she did: bury himself in his sport to keep thoughts of her from his mind. Lucy's face scrunched as the thought of him fighting to forget her hurt her. She knew it was a little hypocritical for her to feel betrayed by his actions when he was doing the same thing she did to him.

Levy was the one to break the silence.

"Your brother _starts_ for the Crocus Knights?" she asked. "How exciting! Does he own a huge mansion? Do you visit him often? Have you been able to meet the team? What's Gajeel Redfox like in real life?"

Wendy chuckled slightly, answering with a wide smile. "He's actually as cocky in real life as he is on the court. He might be pretty to look at, but that's all he has about him."

"Well that's a little disappointing." Levy crossed her arms over her chest.

Lucy forced out a chuckle. "I didn't know you paid so much attention to basketball, Levy. I always thought you said sports were nothing but fun ways to exercise, and people who played them professionally were all ignorant people who don't know what two plus two is."

Levy blushed and looked away. "Just because I had one bad experience with a jock doesn't mean I hate them all."

Wendy shrugged. "Well, Gajeel does have his own sense of charm when you talk to him. He just doesn't like to show it too much for fear of ruining his bad boy reputation." She clapped her hands and gasped. "You can meet him, if you want! A few guys from the team are coming home after the playoffs and a few award ceremonies. They should be here by the end of the week."

Lucy forced a smile as Levy blushed and gasped happily. After a few more words to each other, Wendy bid farewell, promising Lucy that she'd give her love to Uncle Igneel and Auntie Grandine.

As the pair walked into Lucy's home, Levy turned to her.

"So, who's her brother?"

Lucy paused in the doorway, biting her bottom lip. Taking a deep breath, she spoke the name that she hadn't even thought about in ten years. She couldn't speak louder than a whisper, but just saying his name filled her mind with images of his smiling face, and she felt the tears, that she fought so hard to keep at bay, fall.

"Natsu Dragneel."

~.~

 **AN: Now that you finished the chapter, you know what to do. :) Ah, such feels...Anyway, review, fave, follow (if you haven't already), and I'll put the next chapter up at some point when I've felt like I made you wait long enough. We're almost to the end...how does that make you feel? :D I promise this ends happily. As much as I love throwing Natsu and Lucy into drama-filled situations, they almost always end good.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: So, there's a lot of basketball in this chapter. I don't know if Natsu would pick basketball over any other sport, but it's the one that I know most about, so, please bear with it. :) No one seemed put off by it to begin with, but I just wanted throw it out there anyway. Now then... *Runs off to hide self before the mob comes ***

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does. I do not own the song, It's All Coming Back to Me Now, that is sung by the forever talented Celine Dion.**

Chapter 4

 _~When you see me like this, and when I see you like that~_

"I want every detail," Levy said as soon as they got into Lucy's room. She pushed Lucy onto her bed, and stood in front of her with her hands on her hips. "We're not leaving until I know everything about your history with Natsu Dragneel."

Lucy shrugged. "There really isn't much to tell."

"Then we shouldn't be here long." Levy smirked, moving her arms slowly so they crossed over her chest, trying to act intimidating. Though it was hard for Lucy to take the smaller woman seriously.

"Where should I start?" the blonde woman shrugged again, her gaze shifting to her balcony doors. "We met as kids when they moved in next door. My parents - er, my father - wanted to show me off as the perfect little girl. Our mothers insisted that we become friends after that. After my mom died, he was there for me. Then Father suddenly decided that I was to go Mermaid Heel, and we fought. I don't remember what was said, precisely, and I don't even think we said goodbye."

Levy watched as her friend's facial expression changed through her story, ending with her eyes tightly closed, her hands clenched into tight fists. Levy knelt down in front of her and gently placed her hand on Lucy's knee, waiting until the blonde opened her now wet eyes and looked at her.

"Many people separate from their childhood friends to move on with their lives," Levy said softly. "Sometimes it's for the best. In your case, you get a second chance to make things right with him."

"I don't know how I can face him after all these years." Lucy shook her head. "I purposely drowned myself in school work, forgetting everything that happened in my past life. If it wasn't for the occasional birthday cards from my dad, I'd forget about him, too. I haven't thought of Natsu once in ten years until Wendy showed up just now. I feel like everything that happened is just a dream that I once had, and none of it happened at all in real life."

Levy pulled her friend into an embrace. "I think, when the two of you meet again, it'll be like you just saw each other yesterday, and there isn't ten years of separation between you two."

Lucy chuckled softly. "I highly doubt that. He isn't going to let it slide without putting my in my place first."

"Try not to sound so enthusiastic about it," Levy mumbled, earning a little pinch on the arm.

~.~

 _~Then we see what we want to see. All coming back to me~_

The next day the girls spent the morning and afternoon lounging by the pool. It had been so long since either of them allowed themselves a moment of relaxation, and they found that neither of them wanted to willingly leave their lounge chairs.

Finally, in the early evening, Levy jumped up when her phone started buzzing. Lucy glanced questioningly at her friend.

"Lucy! There's something important I wanted to watch on TV," Levy stated, excitedly. She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around herself. "I need your help to figure it out." She pulled Lucy's arms, forcing the blonde to sluggishly pull herself from her seat. She wrapped her towel around her body and hurriedly followed the bluenette inside.

"You've only been here for two days," Lucy said, watching her friend, astonished, as the girl grabbed the remote and handed it to her. "What could possibly be on TV right now that you have to watch?"

Lucy clicked the power button, and was met with cheers, music, and commentators.

" _Tonight is Game 7 of the Fiore championship playoffs between the Crocus Knights and the Magnolia Wizards."_

Lucy felt the remote almost slip from her fingers, but quickly tightened her hold on it, blindly trying to find the power button. She couldn't take her eyes off the screen, even as Levy wrenched the device from her fingers, effectively hiding it so the blonde couldn't turn it off.

Levy sat on the large couch that was positioned in front of the TV, whistling slightly. "I can't imagine the amount of disappointment coming from his hometown," she mumbled. "Being drafted into the Knights when he lives in Magnolia."

Lucy also gently sat herself on the couch.

"But, you can't help who you're drafted into," Levy continued, pulling her feet up and tucking them under her rear.

" _Everyone has been excited and full of energy watching these two teams play during the series. The rivalry of the ages."_

" _That's right, Macao, and with the series tied, it's anyone's game. Can the Knights defend their championship? Or will the Wizards swoop in and steal it from under them, ending the Knights' four season win streak?"_

Lucy inhaled sharply as the camera panned over two men, one with short black hair, and the other…

" _Well, the Wizards have been giving their all against the Knights. But the most exciting part about watching these two teams are these players right here."_

" _Gray Fullbuster and Natsu Dragneel certainly are two peas in a pod. Did you hear Fullbuster's interview after their last game, Wakaba? Apparently they have been rivals since childhood."_

" _It's absolutely amazing. It's all in good fun, though, wouldn't you say? Despite the way it looks like they absolutely hate each other, both players play a fair game. Neither of them have any fouls against each other."_

" _It warms my heart to see two young, brilliantly talented players play the game for the enjoyment of the sport."_

" _Looks like the game is about to get underway as the teams take the court. Referee Mest Glider is our head ref today. He tosses the ball, and Gray is the first to reach the ball, passing it to Lyon Vastia."_

Lucy clutched her towel tighter to her body as she watched the game unfold. Levy glanced at her, and smirked slightly.

Lucy couldn't believe that she was watching him play. She hadn't seen him play any sport since before she found out about her mother's illness. He was always smiling, even if the ball was taken from him, or if he managed to foul someone - he always had that boyish grin on his face. Even now, he didn't think of the game as anything other than a way to have fun, and, boy, was he having fun.

She felt her lips curl up slightly as he laughed and high-fived his teammate. She shook her head as she managed to point out every single man on the court as someone she used to know. Gray, Lyon, Loki, Gajeel, Jellal...was that Sting? And Rogue?! She didn't even know those boys liked basketball, let alone want to play it professionally.

" _Hey, Luigi! Eh, what are you doing?"_

" _Nothing, go away. And that's not my name."_

" _Do you want to play a game of HORSE with me?"_

" _No. Go away."_

" _Aw, why?"_

" _Because you always win that stupid game. Besides I'm practicing."_

" _Practicing what? You're just standing there."_

" _Exactly."_

" _Standing? What the hell do you have to practice standing for? And what's with the book? I don't think that's how you're supposed to read."_

" _I'm not reading it, you dummy. I'm practicing my posture. I'm going to grow up and be a proper lady one day, and balancing a book on my head is supposed to help that."_

" _You're weird. AH! Hey, don't throw things!"_

" _Shut up! Go play your stupid boy games and let me practice being a lady!"_

" _Okay, okay. I can see you need_ lots _of practice. Ladies don't throw books."_

" _Natsu Dragneel, I'm going to murder you!"_

Lucy smiled as the scene presented itself through the fog of her memories. He always knew how to rile her up, and, in the end, always get what he wanted out of her. She angrily chased him out of her room, down the ladder that he had put up, and into his yard. When they reached his basketball court, he tossed the ball to her, saying that since she was already there, why don't they play a game. He always knew how to get his way with her, and, she supposed, spoiled him more than his parents ever could.

She had gotten in trouble with her parents, and she refused to rat out Natsu. Granted, she was grounded for a week - but that didn't stop him from sneaking into her room - but she never regretted it. She never regretted any moment with him.

A buzzer sound from the TV brought her out of her reverie. The teams separated, and the halftime break began. Levy stood up from the couch.

"I'm going to go get changed before the next half starts. Should I order take out or something?"

"Sure," Lucy responded mindlessly. She smiled as the camera panned to Natsu's smiling face. He was having fun. And he didn't have the slightest clue that she was watching him.

~.~

 _~The flesh and the fantasies. All coming back to me~_

It was the middle of the fourth quarter, and the teams were evenly matched. The atmosphere on the court was heavy, and Natsu felt it, but he didn't let himself be intimidated. He wanted to win, sure, but he already accumulated four championship rings. He wouldn't be entirely disappointed if his team lost. Would he say that out loud? Hell no. Whether they won or not, he still played with everything he had, he never held back.

"You're finally going down, flamebrain," Gray muttered as he bounced the ball in place. Natsu held his arms out, ready for the man's next move.

"Not if I stop you, ice princess," he muttered back, a small smirk on his features.

Gray dribbled twice before jumping slightly to his right before juking to the left. Natsu didn't fall for it, however, and he chased the stripper down. Gray had amazingly lost his shirt at least five time since the start of the game, and he was threatened with a personal foul if he did it again.

The shot clock ticked down, ten seconds now. Gray passed the ball and ran around the outside, Natsu on his heels the whole time. They circled around to the basket, the ball being passed to Gray, who caught it and tossed it up, the ball easily going in. Natsu grabbed the ball, shaking his head as Gray pointed at him, laughing, not unkindly.

Natsu passed the ball to Gajeel and the pair jogged to the opposite end of the court, Natsu taking his place at the right side of the court. Watching as Gajeel got into position, Natsu darted around Gray and made his way to the basket. Gajeel passed the ball, but it was grabbed by Lyon. The crowd cheered, drowning out the sound of Gajeel and Natsu swearing very loudly.

Natsu had slipped on the court to take off after Lyon, catching up to the other man easily. Lyon jumped when he reached the basket, with every intention to dunk the ball, but Natsu jumped up and stopped the ball. Lyon fell back as Natsu grabbed the ball and darted down the court.

He smiled as he could hear the crowd going wild. He was going to give them the best finisher of the season. All he had to do was get passed the airheaded Toby Horhorta, and the game would go to the Knights. Natsu, being the showoff that he is, headed straight for Toby, the oddly tanned character standing there with his arms out. Natsu laughed as he jumped, practically floating over the defender.

The basket was in reach, the ball was so close. Natsu put his hand on Toby's shoulder to propel him further, but fate had other plans. Toby's knees buckled as Natsu pushed on him, causing the pinkette to falter, his flying spectacle cut short as he whirled around.

He had only a moment to register that he was falling wrong before something hard hit his head, and the world went black.

~.~

 _~I can barely recall, but it's all coming back to me now~_

Levy's hands shot to her mouth as her eyes widened at the sight. The crowd from the screen went eerily silent; she thought she had hit the mute button for a second.

"Get up."

Levy glanced to her left to see Lucy's eyes glued to the screen, her eyes unblinking. The blonde slowly stood from her seat. "Why isn't he getting up?" she whispered.

Nothing seemed to register in Lucy's mind as she watched the medical team surround her friend. She couldn't hear what the announcers were saying as they decided to play back his fall. She watched as Natsu fell onto his shoulder, over and over again. Why were they doing that to her? She wanted to see Natsu _now_ , not his past self.

The screen went back to the commotion as his teammates piled around the medical team, trying to see their friend. Gajeel was practically shoving people aside, not caring if they were there to help or not.

"Get up, Natsu," she whispered again. She reached the screen, her palms pressing against the glass, willing her spirit to travel to him through the waves. "You can take one fall, can't you? Get up!"

Levy pulled her friend from the TV as she started to hit the device. The blonde choked back a sob as as a stretcher was pushed onto the scene.

"Come on, Natsu! I've seen you fall from higher than that! Get up!" She started fighting as Levy pushed her back on the couch.

This was the second time the smaller woman had to fight Lucy back onto the couch during the game, but Lucy seemed to be fighting harder this time. Levy had no idea how much into the game Lucy actually was, shouting at the referees for bad calls, pointing out dirty tricks, cheering for good plays...in which Levy had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"Lucy, he's going to be okay!" Levy shouted, trying to calm the blonde down.

"Damn right, he's going to be okay! I don't understand why they won't let him walk on his own! Open your eyes, Natsu!"

Lucy fought to scramble back to the screen, shouting at Natsu all the while. Tears streamed down her face while she watched as his body was carefully hoisted onto the stretcher. Photographers fought for pictures, his teammates fought them back, the medical team tried to rush off the court and into the locker room. Gajeel had been kicked out of the game for trying to fight the other team for what they had done to Natsu, even though it was all an accident.

Lucy didn't stop fighting until Natsu disappeared, and a commercial started. She tightly grabbed onto Levy as she cried onto her friend's shoulder. She continued mumbling how he had taken much worse than that, but the words were gibberish mixed with her crying.

Levy bit her bottom lip as she held Lucy against her. The fear of what actually might have happened hanging in the air, but neither of them dared to think it. He didn't die. There was no way. Sure, it looked like he hit his head when he fell, but they couldn't be absolutely sure, right? He was actually fine, right?

He had fallen much harder before...he was going to be okay.

Right?

~.~

 **AN: Don't hate meeeeeeeeee. I'll give you a little bit of spoiler so no one dies from a heart attack and I end up getting tons of hate mail. Natsu isn't dead...he'll be fine, actually. I know the fear of watching something like that happen to someone you really care about, without knowing if that person would be okay or not. Luckily for me, the only time I've witnessed it the person only really suffered a slight concussion and a broken ankle. It is scary, though. Well, with that in mind, please don't hate me, kay? :) I'll see you guys in a week or so for the next...and final...chapter. ^_^/)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 _~If you want me like this, and if you need me like that, it was dead long ago, but it's all coming back to me~_

Lucy hugged her pillow close to her body, her eyes closed tightly. She had just gotten a call from Wendy, letting her know that Natsu was okay, like she knew he was. She didn't question how Wendy knew she was watching the game, but she was grateful the girl made sure to get a hold of her. Apparently her and her parents had travelled to Crocus to watch the game, and she could only imagine how frantic Auntie Grandine must have been.

They had all seen him suffer worse falls, but it was still heart wrenching whenever he took his time to get up from a fall. There were only a couple times he had to have someone help him off the court, but this was the first time he's had to have someone carry him out on a stretcher, as far as she knew; this was the first game she's watched in over ten years. He only had a minor concussion, and his shoulder was sprained, but he was healthy, and she was grateful for it.

She lay in her bed, hugging her pillow tightly, waiting for sleep to come. After she had gone to bed, and calmed down from Wendy's call, she was able to let herself get a little embarrassed by her behaviour during the game. Again, it was the first game she'd seen in ten years, and she was just as excited about it now as she was when she watching him play during high school games. She had even managed to become a cheerleader, just so she could publicly cheer him on without anyone thinking she was a little too over excited. The last time she truly enjoyed cheering while watching him play was the day she found out that her mother was sick.

Sighing, she rolled onto her back, and stared at her ceiling, the long forgotten shame of how she treated him crashing back into her. Natsu had done nothing be supportive to her, always by her side, doing everything in his power to make sure she never felt lonely. And what had she done? Pretty much threw his help in his face and called him an idiot. There was no way she'd be able to face him now, especially with the knowledge that she had purposefully forgotten about him while she was in school. He wouldn't have forgotten about her, she was sure of it. Had she heard anything from him in all those years? No, but she hadn't exactly given him her contact information, either. Her dad knew where she was, and knew how to get a hold of her, but letters from him were almost nonexistent.

Thank goodness she and Levy would be long gone again before he returned home. Just three more days, and the girls would be off to their new careers at the hospital. She would buy herself a new place to live, be it either a house or apartment - apartment preferably - and she would have no other reason to visit this house. Her father wouldn't mind, and she would, once again, revel in her freedom.

Just three more days and she could put all this stress and heartbreak behind her.

~.~

 _~It's so hard to resist, and it's all coming back to me. I can barely recall, but it's all coming back to me now~_

"Come on, boys! We only have six months until the next season starts. I'm not going to let those lousy Wizards to hold onto the championship!"

"Jeeze. You'd think after recovering from a concussion he'd want to relax more."

Natsu ignored his teammates as he marched out the doors to his home and onto the court. Yes, he did get a concussion, and his shoulder was still a little sore, but what better way to recover than to continuously keep going? He didn't want his body to become stiff and his skills to become lazy if all he did was lay around and wait for his body to heal.

The basketball court was surrounded by a fifteen foot high chain-link fence, which was on the border between his parents' house and the neighbor. He paused before stepping onto the court, holding the ball tightly between his hands. Beyond the fence of the court was another barrier between the two homes, and, thankfully, his mother had allowed the ivy to overgrow, completely covering the fence so they could no longer see what lay beyond, even though they still knew what it was that sat over there.

He never forgot. How could he? He was pretty much staring at the empty bedroom for ten years, regret constantly building up inside him. Yes, he regretted how they parted. Deep inside, he knew her leaving was best for her future, but he had been selfish at the time, and unable to accept that she was leaving. He was happy for her, going off to bigger and better things. There was no way she'd be able to have a successful future if she had stayed in Magnolia, and attended the community college, like he had planned. She moved on, without him, and he just had to accept that.

Except, even now, after ten years, he still couldn't let himself let go of her. After she left, he drowned himself in training, which had paid off. He was drafted right out of high school, and, in just two years, became the number one player in the league, and, a year after that, he had been able to lead his team to winning the championship four years in a row. If it hadn't been for that mistake, they would have five championships to their name.

Taking a deep breath, he moved around the court, regaining his focus and joining his friends to a game. He couldn't afford to think of her right now. Like he had stated earlier, only six months until they could work on revenge. He smiled and felt his body warm up, the flames of competition roaring to the challenge.

"I'm all fired up! Let's get playing!" He dunked the ball with ease, and only one of his teammates was as pumped up as he was.

~.~

"Do you want to go for a swim?" Levy stood up and stretched her arms across her body. It had been an amazing week, and she wanted to enjoy one last swim before they headed out for the city in the morning.

Lucy smiled from her spot on her lounge chair. "Maybe later. My tan isn't nearly acceptable yet, since this could be the last time I'd get to lay out in the sun like this."

"Don't say that. I'm sure, after we get settled in, we'll still have time to relax." Levy didn't wait for a response, and jumped in the water. Of course she knew Lucy was right, but she had to stay optimistic for now. She's worked hard all her life, and this week was the first time she actually got to sit back and relax.

Upon resurfacing, she noticed Lucy had stood up and had begun stretching her arms over her body. Maybe she changed her mind, after all?

"Actually, I think I'm a little hungry," her blonde friend stated, slipping her sandals on. "I'm going to make myself a sandwich. Do you want anything?"

"Nah, I'll go make something after I've done a few more laps." She began swimming around the pool as Lucy walked inside the guest house where Levy had been staying.

The guest house was built closer to the pool than the main house was, so Lucy found herself occupying the little home more often than she was in her own home. She didn't mind it, though...there were less memories in the guest house than there was in her room.

As Levy flipped underwater to change directions, she felt a large splash that erupted in front of her, causing her to squeal and pull herself out of her concentration. She backed up until she was against the wall, and stared at the object that had created the splash, missing her head by mere inches. Had she been seriously swimming laps, she would have gotten hit for sure. Thankfully she was only swimming for leisure, and taking her time.

The object itself was round, bigger than her head, and orange...and it floated in front of her menacingly. She reached out to poke the ball, wondering where on earth it could have come from. She pushed it down into the water and giggled when it popped back up, splashing her again. She grabbed the ball and tossed it out of the pool, climbing out and picking it back up. She looked around, wondering where it would have come from. She contemplated calling Lucy, opening her mouth to shout out and she began making her way to the house, but something stopped her.

She looked down at the basketball, and then toward the direction where she knew to be the Dragneels' home. She wasn't stupid...there had to be only one explanation, and she was going to quickly come up with a plan to get Lucy to return the ball.

Little did she know, there were two pairs of eyes watching her from the thick hedge that separated Lucy's home and her neighbor's home. A soft chuckle could be heard from the larger figure on the left.

"Who is that?"

"I don't know."

"Didn't you say there was a girl who used to live here?"

"That isn't her though. Maybe her dad got himself a new mistress?"

"Well, he certainly has wonderful taste in women."

"Gajeel, that girl looks like she's fifteen."

"There's no way that body belongs to a fifteen year-old."

Natsu bit his tongue and continued watching the strange blue haired woman as she played with their ball. He knew someone who had an amazing body at fifteen, and she probably only grew to be more amazing now. Who he wouldn't kill to see her in her fully grown-glory. Now, though, they had a dilemma of getting their ball back. How the damn object even managed to fly this far was still a mystery to him. He blocked a shot, but he must have hit it harder than he thought, since it flew above the fence, the ivy, and bounced along the ground, and into the pool. He felt his body run cold as he realized that he may have lost a perfectly good basketball - not wanting to risk his life sneaking onto that old man's property. If her dad caught him, he'd kill him, and that was no lie. He tried once already.

Luckily for them, the secret passage he and Lucy made through the hedges was still there, and the two of them were able to sneak onto the Heartfilia property unseen.

"Well, there's no other choice but to go get her - I mean - get the ball." Gajeel cleared his throat. Natsu knew his slip up wasn't an accident; let's just say that his comment about the woman's fifteen year old body didn't really surprise Natsu in the least. Gajeel was the man who didn't care how old - okay, he really did, he still had standards to uphold - as long as the girl was pretty and willing.

"Oh! Look! She's going into that building. Now's our chance!"

"Our chance for what? Gajeel!"

Natsu's protest fell on deaf ears as the taller man crawled out from the hedge and silently trudged around the pool's edge towards the guest house. Natsu bit his bottom lip, going over two possible outcomes of this predicament. One: Gajeel could end up with a gunshot wound to his back if Jude Heartfilia happened to walk outside at that exact moment. Two: Gajeel would make it into the guest house, alive, and would probably be busy for the next hour or so.

Neither option sounded good to Natsu. He wasn't going to sit back and let his friend get lucky when they were on a dangerous mission to get their ball back. He moved to follow Gajeel, but he froze when he realized he was about to place his foot officially on Heartfilia soil, a place where he hadn't gone since the day she left. He looked down at his feet, wondering why he couldn't fully cross the threshold. He couldn't understand why it was so hard. It's not like she was over there. She made it perfectly clear that she didn't want to come back, or see him again. Sure, those weren't her exact words, but how else was he supposed to explain the ten years of silence? Why would she not contact him at all if she had no intention of seeing him again? After all, it has been ten years - she had to have graduated school, gone to college, and began her life by now.

He found himself sinking back into the hedge, unable to make himself go farther.

Their separation was the best. Who knew where they would have ended up if they had still be together? He certainly wouldn't be playing for the Crocus Knights if she had stayed. She certainly wouldn't be working at a successful business, making lots of money, probably marrying a rich guy, and having two perfect children. What would they have if things turned out different? Maybe they would have become a couple. He was a year ahead of her, so he would have graduated first, and gone to the community college. She would have followed. They would work until they both graduated, then both would get a job. If things had stayed the same, they would have eventually gotten married, moved to a small home in the suburbs of Magnolia, adopted a dog, had a couple kids...And that was if they managed to stay together. They might have broken up along the way, and their story would have ended in heartbreak.

Well, at least, in that scenario, they would have had a story together. Sighing deeply, he ran his hand through his hair, turned around, and made his way out of the hedge, following the secret trail back to his property. Ignoring the questions from his team, he walked into his home.

Gajeel, on the other hand, felt like he had died and gone to Heaven. He peered into the window of the guest house and watched as the blue haired woman approached a busty blonde woman...and it didn't take long for his imagination to run wild. He smirked, and moved to make himself known, but the blonde woman shrieking stopped him. She caught sight of the ball, and he she stared at it, wide eyed. She looked frightened, almost, like the little one was holding onto a flesh-eating monster that was going to attack her at any second.

"Where did you get that?" Lucy whispered, backing away as if the thing was going to jump out of Levy's arms and attach itself to her face.

Levy shrugged. "I was swimming and it almost drowned me. I came in here to see if you knew where it came from." As if not reading Lucy's discomfort, Levy held the ball out towards her friend, following Lucy as she flinched away.

"I've been in here the whole time!" She jumped behind the table, working hard to keep her and Levy apart. "What makes you think I know where it came from?"

"Well, it's your house! Surely you've had something like this happen before, right? What do I do with it?"

"Get it away from me!" Lucy shrieked. She had been able to maneuver them so that she was the one by the open doors. She took that chance to run out of the guest house, and straight to the main home. Levy followed, only until she by the pool again, watching as Lucy slammed the door shut behind her.

Sighing, the bluenette bounced the ball on the ground. "Well, it was worth a shot. Now to get you back where you came from, little guy." She held the ball close to her chest and turned around, running into a hard body.

She gasped and jumped back, the ball falling from her arms. The body she ran into quickly grabbed the ball before it bounced back into the pool. The body's face held an amused smirk, and she was only surprised for a minute before she recognized who she ran into. The messy black hair and overly pierced face was a dead give away.

"Gajeel Redfox?" she gasped. "What are you doing here?" She had meant what he was doing in front of her, in person. It only took her a second to realize that he shouldn't be in Lucy's back yard. Well, that explained where the ball came from. "Oh!" She jumped before he could answer her. "You're on the same team as Natsu, right? Is he home?"

Shrugging, Gajeel glanced behind his back. Of course she would be more interested in Natsu. Just his luck. Well, maybe he could let his teammate have this little one while he chased after the blonde.

"If he wasn't I wouldn't be here," he grumbled, looking back at the blue haired woman, who seemed to be absolutely full to the brim with happiness. If he wasn't trying to flirt with her, he'd say this show of affection was going to make him vomit. Natsu could have this one...The moody blonde was definitely more his type.

"Oooh! This is perfect! I have the best idea!" Without warning, she grabbed Gajeel's hand, her earlier shyness forgotten. Right now, they were just two people trying to help their friends, and, whether he knew it or not, he was now part of Operation: Get Lucy and Natsu back together.

Gajeel, on the other hand, was nearly giddy with excitement as she pulled him into the guest house. Maybe this chick wasn't so bad after all?

~.~

 **AN: Okay, so I lied...I was going over the last chapter and realized how long it actually was...so I split it. Enjoy, then review/follow/fave. And I'll see you guys next time for the -for real this time- last chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, nor do I own the rights to the song, It's All Coming Back To Me Now. Now, without further ado, last chapter.**

Chapter 6

 _~We forgive and forget, and it's all coming back to me~_

Gajeel groaned as he stood outside his teammate's room, glaring at the door. How the hell did allow himself to get caught up in this? He didn't care about the drama, and, honestly, he probably should just fold all his cards now and walk away. Not his monkey; not his circus - it's what his old man always used to say. Then again, that man was about as selfish as one could be, and Gajeel inherited that trait.

Sighing, he turned to walk back towards his own room, but the sound of the door he was just standing in front of opening stopped him.

"Gajeel? What are you doing here?"

He bit his lip in irritation, mumbling something to himself about no woman being worth this. He cleared his throat and turned back to the now open door. His mind drew a blank, he was too embarrassed to tell him what that chick wanted him to say, but nothing else was coming to mind. He inwardly shrugged and decided that he didn't care about the results, he was not going to share with his male friend what that girl wanted him to say. Hell, he was going to tell the truth.

He smirked and pushed his friend into the room, closing the door behind him. He could see the unease Natsu was feeling, but he didn't care.

"So guess what I just found out?" Gajeel asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Natsu blinked up at him, rolled his eyes, and turned away from him, falling face first onto his bed. "I don't care what her name is, her boob size, her butt size, or what strip club she works at." Natsu had heard too many stories about Gajeel's late night romps, and he was done listening to them. He wasn't in the mood, especially since he was back home and he had just stepped foot on her property. The last thing he wanted to hear about was someone else's love life when his was - and always will be - nonexistent.

Gajeel gave his signature two-syllable chuckle as he strode up to Natsu's bed and nudged the other man with his foot.

"You don't even want to know what her friend's name is?"

"No." Natsu sat up and nudged back with his own foot. "I already give up my right to her, you can have them both. Have fun, don't call me in the morning."

"Okay, you don't want to listen, but I'm going to tell you anyway. It's just too good to keep to myself."

"Then go tell Lyon or someone. I don't care."

Gajeel hopped onto Natsu's dresser. "So that blue haired chick back at the pool admitted to not being anyone's mistress."

Natsu groaned and fell onto his back. "Damn it, metalhead!" He grabbed his pillow and held it over his face.

"She's actually a guest there, staying until she starts her big shot doctor job next week." He went on, ignoring Natsu's many vocalized protests. "She's friends with the daughter of that old guy next door."

That shut Natsu up. Gajeel took a break from his story, knowing how he felt about the girl next door from various hints from his friend's parents, and what the girl from earlier told him. Natsu pushed a portion of his pillow off his face, showing only an interested eye.

"Friends from school?" he muttered quietly.

"Yup. Guess what else she told me?" He wiggled his eyebrows. Sure, he wanted to see the other man happy, but there was no shame in torturing him a little.

Natsu sat up, letting the pillow fall from his face. "What?" His expression was attentive, his heart thumping so loud in his chest. A million different things ran through his mind. This was big news; a friend of Lucy's was living there? Surely she wasn't living there without Lucy. He knew her father, and he in no way would he allow some random person to stay on his property without some sort of rent payment.

"She's twenty-five, not fifteen. Totally legal!" He jumped off the dresser to dodge the pillow that had come flying at him.

"I told you I didn't care about that!" All of Natsu's eagerness turned to absolute anger as Gajeel pushed his buttons. Did that idiot even think about anyone but himself, or anything but sex? He was worse than half the boys he knew in high school, and everyone knew how high school boys could be about that sort of thing.

"She even invited me to that guest house she's staying in. Here's the best part." Gajeel grabbed Natsu's shoulders. "She's going to hold a party and we're invited!"

Natsu blinked at him and shook his head. "Why would I want to go there?"

"You like parties, don't you?"

"Not there, I don't."

"What's the big deal? She got permission and everything. The old guy isn't even going to be there. They don't really know anyone around here, so she asked me to tell the guys, and have them spread the word...it's going to be a disaster, but it's going to be fun."

"I'm not going to go, but you have fun." Natsu tried to end the conversation by laying down and turned on his side, away from his guest.

"You don't even want to know when it's going to be or who's coming?"

"You just said you didn't know who was coming other than the guys, so no...I don't care."

Gajeel shrugged and walked to the door, opening it. Before stepping out, though he paused and glanced back at his friend, giving him the one and only time he'd ever do anything to make him happy...on purpose.

"She said Lucy would really like for you to be there."

Natsu's eyes shot open as he heard the door close, Gajeel's last comment repeating itself over and over in his brain. He had to have heard wrong, or at least misinterpreted the meaning. He was talking about her spirit that seemed to linger in that house. Okay, so she wasn't dead, and he wasn't going to treat her like she was dead, but even when he was there earlier he could almost feel her presence there like she was a ghost.

She wasn't really there. After their fight, she wasn't going to ever return. Sitting up in his bed, he stared out of his bedroom window. There was no harm in feeling her spirit again, was there? He shrugged as he climbed off his bed. After all, he was just going to reminisce. He nodded as he opened his window, climbing through it. Just for old time's sake. He grunted as he dropped down to the ground. There was nothing wrong with sneaking around his own backyard, swiping a spider out of the way from their secret passage, crawling around the pool so he didn't alert anyone, nervously climbing tree next to the house - something he hadn't done since he was a kid, and, since he'd grown a lot since then, he tried to assure himself the tree would hold his weight now - and there definitely wasn't anything disturbing about hopping onto her balcony and peering into the darkness of her room. This wasn't creepy at all!

He wanted to throw up.

~.~

 _~It was gone with the wind, but it's all coming back to me~_

Lucy hugged her knees in the water, shivering. She had been sitting in her bath for so long now the water had long since past lukewarm, and she was actually starting to ache due to the cold. She sighed and told herself it was time to get out of the water. She stood up and grabbed her towel, wrapping it around her body.

Damn that Levy, sometimes. Lucy loved her like a sister, but, like a sister, that girl had a way to stick her nose in things that shouldn't have noses stuck in. Lucy tried so hard to forget everything for this one reason: the guilt. But now, with Levy's help, she was practically drowning in it.

" _He lost the tournament, suffered an injury, and ended his streak all in one night. Imagine how he must feel."_

Yes, she had imagined how he must have felt...many times. Thank you, Levy. But that was why she absolutely had to avoid seeing him. Even though she hadn't seen him physically, that basketball was a sign. No. It was an omen of major proportions! Just imagine how worse he would feel if he saw her and have everything come crashing back into him? He would hate her! There's no way he forgave her for their parting words, or the fact that she completely ignored him for ten years. Okay, so it was more of cutting him completely out of her life instead of just ignoring, and that was worse.

She wouldn't even forgive herself...she couldn't forgive herself.

She softly chuckled as she unplugged the tub and wrapped her hair in another towel.

Maybe that's what it was? She hated herself for how she treated him, so she automatically assumed he hated her as well. If she knew him at all, he'd suddenly appear out of nowhere and treat her like they hadn't just spent ten years apart.

She smiled softly as she made her way into her room, images of him playing ball the other night drifting into her mind. He was having fun, he was smiling, just like she remembered him. Maybe he had forgotten about her, like she had him? To stop the pain, he concentrated on his career in basketball, just like she concentrated on her school work. She sighed as she lay on her bed, not bothering with the light. She welcomed the darkness, feeling her body grow heavy as she realized how tired she suddenly found herself.

She grunted and rolled over to her side, knowing she had to get up and get changed so she didn't catch a cold. Though with the sudden warmth she felt on her bed, she doubted she would get a cold. Well, she was starting her new job soon, so she couldn't afford to be sick, whether she knew she would be or not.

She pushed herself up, and found herself smiling down at her pillow. _Goodness, Lucy, you've been obsessing over him so much lately that you're even seeing him in the shadows, sleeping in your bed like he used to._

 _Hm...his illusion sure has gotten big, his feet are practically hanging off the edge._

 _Wait a minute._

Her stomach fluttered as she reached her hand out to the lump lying next to her. It was just an illusion, right? There was no way he'd actually be there. First the basketball, and now she was hallucinating...she was suddenly contemplating checking herself into a psychiatric hospital as her hand rested against something hard. She blinked rapidly as fear washed over her.

She shrieked and jumped off her bed. Without another thought, she lifted her leg and kicked the intruder off her bed, kicking with all her might, causing the intruder to groan and fall off the bed with a loud thud.

"Who are you and what the hell are you doing in my room?" she exclaimed. She raced to her desk, grabbed a letter opener, and switched on the little lamp, only casting a low glow in the room. She clutched her towel tighter against her body and held her opener toward the person who was laying on the floor on the other side of her bed, blocking him from view.

Again, he groaned, and she could see him sit up, rubbing his head. She gasped and dropped the little metal weapon. Luckily it barely missed her foot, but her attention wasn't on her near accident that could have severely hurt her foot.

"What…" she breathed out. She watched as he placed his hand on her bed and turned to her.

"Jeeze, what the hell?" he grumbled, pushing himself off the floor. He glared at her for only a split second before he broke out into a grin. "Hey." His eyes roamed her body, taking in her lack of clothing, enjoying the view of the towel barely covering her fully grown woman body. He couldn't move from his spot, just stare at her. She really was here, in the ever loving, brightly glowing flesh. Sure, the glow was probably from the desk lamp behind her, but it was heavenly either way.

He didn't even mind that she was looking at him like he actually was: an intruder who snuck into her room and fell asleep on her bed.

She was happy, but old habits die hard, and she found herself a little angry at him, not giving a rat's ass that he was invading her personal space.

"Natsu, you dummy!" she shrieked. "You can't just sneak into someone's room and crawl into their bed! I thought you were a robber, a murderer, a rapist!" She reached behind her and grabbed an object from her desk, and threw it at him, not bothering to see what it was.

It flew by him, not anywhere close to him, but it broke the spell he was in, and he found himself moving towards her. He was on her before she could force herself to move away, and he threw his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him, the towel on her head falling. She could feel the towel around her body start to slip, but she continued to hold it against her. He was probably crushing her with the strength he used to hold her. But, if he didn't, she would leave him again. He didn't want her to disappear from his life again.

Her anger immediately subsided, but she could feel her whole body flushing as she realized that he was holding her. She started shaking as she slowly raised her arms, her eyes quickly filling with tears, and she choked back a sob.

"I can't believe you're here," he whispered, rubbing his nose against the top of her hair, taking in her scent that he's only dreamt of until this moment. He smirked when he realized how tall he was compared to her now. He felt her whole body against his, and marvelled at how she had grown. She was a full grown woman now, and more beautiful than ever. "God, I missed you so much." His words were muffled as he spoke into her hair, but she heard every word, and it pierced her with guilt much stronger than she's felt all this time.

She gently wrapped her arms around him, fisting her hands in the back of his shirt, giving no more thought to her towel. She could feel her unshed tears start to roll down her cheeks, and she hiccuped, pushing her face into his chest, not wanting him to see her cry.

"I'm so sorry, Natsu," she whispered through her tears. She felt his body shake as he chuckled quietly.

"It's okay. I haven't been kicked out of bed in a really long time, but it was worth it -"

"No, that's not what I meant." She chanced looking up at him, biting her bottom lip to keep herself from losing control at the sight of his face. He was smiling down at her, his eyes only slightly teary. She closed her eyes as he brought his hand up to wipe her tears from her cheeks. "For what I said," she continued, leaning into his hand as it continued to caress her cheek.

"That you thought I was a rapist? I completely understand -"

"Natsu, could you shut up and think for a moment?" She blinked up at him and pushed away slightly. "I'm trying to apologize for the way I treated you all those years ago, and for ignoring you while I was gone. Could you take this seriously, please? I said terrible things, and I shouldn't have treated you that way. You had every right to hate me. I would blame you if you -"

He couldn't hear any more of it. As long as he loved hearing her voice, the words she was saying weren't what he wanted to hear. Without thinking, he placed his lips against hers, smirking a little when he felt her relax in his arms. He didn't care about that fight they had all those years ago, not when she was here in his arms now.

He pulled away and placed his forehead against hers. "I love you so much," he whispered. His eyes roamed over her body, now realizing that her towel had fallen and he could see every inch of her beautiful body, appreciating how much she has grown. His eyes made their way back to her own eyes, satisfied that he managed to stop her crying, caused her cheeks to burn bright red, and made her breath come out heavy and ragged. "I am never letting you go, ever again."

"Natsu…" her voice came out as a breathy whisper as her eyelids slowly closed. He chuckled softly again as he began running his hands up and down her sides, loving the shudder she let escape.

"I am going to keep my promise, and stay with you forever, whether you like it or not."

He kissed her again, and started to gently pull her towards her bed. They had ten years worth of intimate time to make up, and he was going make sure she enjoyed every bit of it.

~.~

 _But if I touch you like this, and if you kiss me like that, it was so long ago but it's all coming back to me. If you touch me like this, and if I kiss you like that, it was gone with the wind but it's all coming back to me now..._

 **AN: Tada! The end. I hope you enjoyed it. I've been thinking of making an epilogue, but if I do write it, I'm not sure how long it would take for me to actually get it up. Let me know if you want one more, and I'll consider it. Until then, I'll see you guys in my other stories. Loves to all! 3**


End file.
